1983: Eric Truvillion’s 3 TD Receptions Help Bandits Defeat Federals

The Tampa Bay Bandits had won their first four games in the United States Football League’s inaugural season, but had stumbled in losing two of the next three contests. The loss of veteran QB John Reaves with a broken wrist didn’t help matters.

On April 24, 1983 the Bandits traveled to Washington to take on the lowly (1-6) Federals at RFK Stadium before a sparse crowd of 9070. Jimmy Jordan, a former star at Florida State, had taken over at quarterback. Like Reaves, Jordan wasn’t very mobile and also suffered from a sore shoulder, but he proved to be effective in this, his first start.

It looked like it would be an easy win for the Bandits as they broke out to a 20-6 halftime lead. Jordan hit WR Eric Truvillion with three touchdown passes, of 28, 15, and six yards (the extra point attempt was blocked after the first one). Washington only got on the board thanks to a 94-yard kickoff return by RB Eric Robinson after the first Tampa Bay score (the Bandits blocked the ensuing PAT attempt in turn).

However, sloppy play by the Bandits - they turned the ball over seven times in all - allowed the Federals to nearly pull the game out. First, RB Craig James ran for a 19-yard touchdown to cut the margin to 20-13 in the third quarter. Then in the fourth quarter, QB Mike Hohensee passed to WR Mike Holmes for a 10-yard TD that tied the score. The Federals gained the lead at 23-20 with a 23-yard Dale Castro field goal, but it didn’t last long.

Jordan took the Bandits to the Washington 15 yard line on the next possession, which culminated in Zenon Andrusyshyn re-tying the game at 23-23 with a 31-yard field goal. CB Leon Williams intercepted a pass to regain possession for Tampa Bay, and with under three minutes remaining RB Carl Franks dashed 18 yards through the middle for the winning touchdown. The final score was 30-23 in favor of the Bandits.

Jimmy Jordan completed 30 of 45 passes for 345 yards with the three touchdowns, but tossed three interceptions as well. Eric Truvillion caught 9 passes for 113 yards with the three scores, while WR Danny Buggs also exceeded a hundred receiving yards with 103 on 7 catches. RB Sam Platt led the club in rushing with 71 yards on 22 carries; he also contributed a further 49 yards on 7 pass receptions.


The two Washington quarterbacks, rookie Mike Hohensee and veteran Joe Gilliam, combined to complete 16 of 37 passes for 213 yards with a TD and four interceptions (Hohensee tossed the TD while Gilliam had three of his passes picked off). Craig James rushed for 60 yards on 15 attempts. WR Joey Walters was the Federals’ top receiver with 7 catches for 85 yards.

Tampa Bay gave up more turnovers than Washington thanks to four fumbles and the three passes picked off, but also won the total yardage battle (452 to 267) and dominated in first downs (31 to 16) and time of possession (35:28 to 24:32). The Federals recorded the only sacks of the contest, however, with three; 1.5 were credited to 15-year veteran DE Coy Bacon.

The Bandits encountered rough going the rest of the way, finishing with an 11-7 record that put them in third place in the Central Division and out of the playoffs. Washington went 4-14 to end up at the bottom of the Atlantic Division, tied with Arizona for the worst record in the league.

Jordan performed well overall, placing fourth among the USFL’s passers (Reaves was 12th) as he completed 60.9 % of his 238 throws for 1831 yards with 14 TDs and 14 interceptions. Eric Truvillion was an All-League selection both by the USFL and The Sporting News as he caught 66 passes for 1080 yards and 15 touchdowns (Danny Buggs grabbed 76 passes for 1146 yards, but with just 5 TDs). Prize rookie Craig James was one of the few bright spots for the Federals as he rushed for 823 yards on 202 carries.

1983: Blitz Wins USFL Debut as George Allen Returns to Washington

March 6, 1983 marked opening day for the new United States Football League (USFL), and the Washington Federals hosted the Chicago Blitz at RFK Stadium. It was something of a homecoming for Blitz Head Coach George Allen, who had coached the NFL Redskins from 1971-77.

Allen was the most prestigious of the new league’s head coaches, and thus he and the Blitz received a fair amount of attention prior to the USFL commencing its first spring season. After initially gaining notoriety as the defensive assistant for the Bears under George Halas when they won the 1963 NFL title, Allen had gone on to his first head coaching job with the Rams. Taking over a franchise that had posted six consecutive losing seasons prior to 1966, he immediately turned the team’s fortunes around and ended up with a 49-19-4 record before departing following the 1970 season. From there it was to Washington and a 69-35-1 tally that included a NFC championship in 1972. Hard-working and intense, he also was an outstanding motivator whose teams typically played with great spirit and enthusiasm.

Allen left Washington to return to the Rams for the ’78 season, but never made it through the preseason as he was replaced by Ray Malavasi. He retreated to the broadcast booth until taking on the challenge of coaching a new team in a start-up league. His arrival in Chicago heralded great expectations and, as Allen had done with the Rams and Redskins, a strong nucleus of veteran players was assembled.

QB Greg Landry (pictured below left), a 14-year NFL veteran, guided an offense that included the team’s two most significant rookie signings, WR Trumaine Johnson and RB Tim Spencer. The defense was filled with experienced players, most notably defensive ends Karl Lorch (WFL and Redskins) and Junior Ah You (CFL), DT Joe Ehrmann (Colts and Lions), LB Stan White (Colts and Lions), CB Virgil Livers (Bears), and safety Luther Bradley (Lions). Even punter/placekicker Frank Corral (Rams) was an experienced pro.


Chicago met expectations in the opener, easily defeating the Federals, 28-7. Landry directed the typically conservative but effective offense (a signature of Allen’s teams), completing 19 of 27 passes for 251 yards with two TDs and no interceptions. The rookie WR Johnson made an immediate impression, catching 11 of those passes for 158 yards and a score. Spencer led the running attack with 69 yards on 17 carries. On defense, Bradley picked off two passes and Ah You and Ehrmann each recorded a sack.

The Blitz outrushed the Federals, 143 yards to 36 (rookie RB Craig James gained 34 of those yards on 14 carries), and outpassed them 213 to 172. Washington had only three first downs in the first three quarters, didn’t score until the fourth quarter, and was forced to punt nine times.

Speculation that Chicago was the USFL’s dominant team grew to a fever pitch, although Allen attempted to calm the inflated expectations. “I don’t feel that we’ll dominate the league in any manner,” was his response, and it was proven so the following week when the Blitz gave up 18 points in the fourth quarter to blow a 29-12 lead over the Arizona Wrangers, who won 30-29.

At the end of the year, Chicago had a 12-6 record and the wild card spot in the playoffs (their record matched that of the Michigan Panthers in the Central Division, but the eventual-champion Panthers won the division title by sweeping the season series between the teams). They lost to the Philadelphia Stars in the Semifinal round. Washington, by contrast, went 4-14 and ended up at the bottom of the Atlantic Division.

The Blitz scored the most points (456) and had the third-ranked offense as well as top-ranked defense in the USFL. Trumaine Johnson topped the league with 81 catches for 1322 yards and Luther Bradley led in interceptions with 12. Allen was criticized for his offense’s predictability, and for sitting on late leads that made them vulnerable to opponents staging comebacks. However, the team suffered key injuries, losing Landry to a foot injury twelve weeks into the campaign as well as some key offensive linemen. But for the outsized expectations (and monetary losses that led the franchise to exchange locations with the Wranglers for 1984), it was a respectable showing and did nothing to damage a coaching career that landed Allen in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

1984: Jacksonville Bulls Score 53 Points in USFL Debut

The Jacksonville Bulls were one of six new teams in the USFL for the 1984 season. Owned by Fred Bullard (hence the Bulls nickname) and coached by Lindy Infante, they took the field for their first game on February 26 before 49,392 fans at the Gator Bowl. They didn’t disappoint, rolling up 53 points as they obliterated the visiting Washington Federals.

The first points came on a safety as Washington punter Dana Moore fell on a fumble in his end zone. The first touchdown occurred on a 74-yard pass play from QB Matt Robinson to WR Aubrey Matthews. It was 16-0 at the end of the first quarter after RB Larry Mason scored from a yard out.

By the end of the first half, the Bulls had a 29-0 lead as Mason scored a second TD on an eight-yard run (the PAT failed) and Robinson connected on another long pass play, this one covering 54 yards to WR Wyatt Henderson. Washington finally got on the board in the third quarter on a one-yard run by QB Mike Hohensee, but it was Jacksonville accumulating the next 17 points as the Bulls cruised to the 53-14 victory.


Robinson (pictured at right), who had played in the NFL with the Jets, Broncos, and Bills, completed 15 of 25 passes for 299 yards with three touchdowns against two interceptions. Rookie WR Gary Clark led the team with 4 pass receptions (for 65 yards), although Matthews had the most receiving yards with 74 on his lone catch, the long TD. Larry Mason led the team’s runners with 36 yards on 11 carries with the two scores.

WR Joey Walters had an outstanding statistical day in a losing effort for the Federals as he gained 205 yards on 8 receptions that included a 51-yard TD on a pass from relief QB Reggie Collier.

It was a great start for the franchise both on the field and in terms of attendance. But while the Bulls would set a USFL single-game attendance record in their next game with 73,227 on hand to witness a heartbreaking loss to the New Jersey Generals, and would go on to lead the league in attendance over the course of the season, they went 6-12 on the way to a last place finish in the Southern Division. The Federals also finished last with a 3-15 record, tied with the Pittsburgh Maulers in the Atlantic Division.

Matt Robinson ended up splitting time at quarterback with Robbie Mahfouz. Gary Clark was the top receiver, with 56 catches for 760 yards. However, the team finished next to last in the USFL in rushing with 1729 yards; Mason’s 495 yards led the club.

Defense was a problem as the team failed to consistently put pressure on opposing quarterbacks and ended up surrendering 455 points. They were good at picking off passes, with 28 interceptions (led by safety Don Bessillieu’s seven), but defensive lineman Bob Clasby was the team’s leader with just five sacks.

The franchise’s enduring legacy was the fan support that it generated. Long after the Bulls disappeared with the rest of the USFL, the NFL awarded Jacksonville an expansion franchise for the 1995 season. The enthusiasm generated for the Bulls apparently played a role in that decision.